SKyTeach graduates Shelby Overstreet of Crestwood and Amanda Cook of Worthville were awarded first place in the student course exposition poster competition for “Fireworks: An Explosive Way to Teach Chemical Reactions in Using Project-Based Instruction.” SKyTeach student Dagan Conatser of Albany was awarded first place in the student research division for “Defining a Math Person.” The students were mentored by Dr. Jennifer Cribbs, Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education for the SKyTeach program.

Other SKyTeach students who presented posters at the May 21-23 conference were Shelby Fisher of Scottsville, who presented a course exposition poster titled “Chili Today or Hot Tamale: Engineering a Solar Oven” and Madison Moore of Brownsville, who presented in the course exposition category with a poster titled “Challenging Students to Rise Above the Content: A 5E Lesson on Cellular Respiration and Fermentation.” Both students were mentored by SKyTeach Co-Directors Dr. Les L. Pesterfield and Dr. Martha M. Day. Other SKyTeach faculty in attendance was Master Teachers Catherine Poteet from WKU-Glasgow and Catherine Rogier from WKU-Owensboro).

The UTeach Institute was established in response to national concerns about the quality of K-12 education in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and growing interest in UTeach, the innovative teacher preparation program started in 1997 at The University of Texas at Austin.

WKU was selected as one of the first 12 UTeach replication sites in the U.S. in 2007. Currently, 34 universities are implementing UTeach programs. Faculty and staff at these universities represent a national community of experts focused on strengthening secondary STEM teacher preparation.

WKU’s SKyTeach program is the only UTeach replication program in the state of Kentucky. The SKyTeach program has graduated more than 100 middle and secondary mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and earth/space science teachers since the program’s inception.